Arch support



R. T. BENNNG ARCH SUPPORT Feb. 13, 1934.

Filed Aug. 6, 1932 FIG.

FIGB.

lllllllllllllllllll m M MMM EN, N Ww m 15mn T A m M nu Vet Patented Feb. 13, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to foot appliances of the kind commonly termed arch supports, and particularly removable arch supports of the type that consist of a body portion or insole adapted to be removably mounted in a shoe and provided with an element or elements that are employed to correct or assist in correcting defects or deformities in one or more arches of the users foot.

The main object of my invention is to provide an arch support of the general type mentioned, that has the following desirable features or characteristics, i. e., it is inexpensive to manufacture; it is so thin that it will not crowd the interior of the shoe, and is flexible enough to conform accurately to the shape of the sole of the users foot; and it is not injuriously affected by perspiration and can be easily kept. in a sanitary condition, due to the fact that the parts of same can be washed with water and soap and then dried without liability of shrinking, Warping or bulging out of shape.

Another object is to provide an adjustable arch support in which the arch pad or pads are combined in a novel manner with the boch! portion or insole of the device.

I have herein illustrated my invention embodied in an arch support that is provided with a longitudinal arch pad and a metatarsal arch pad, but I 30 wish it to be understood that my invention is applicable to an arch support that is provided with only one pad, i. e., either a longitudinal arch pad or a metatarsal arch pad.

Figure 1 of the drawing is a top plan vlew of my improved arch support.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan View of said arch support; and

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one form of my invention, A designates the body portion or insole of the device, B designates a. longitudinal arch pad mounted on the underside of said insole, and C designates a metatarsal arch pad, which is also mounted on the underside of said insole. TheY body portion or lnsole A is formed from one or more pieces of relatively thin, non-metallic sheet material which is of such a nature or character that it is not injuriously alfected by perspiration or by water or soap, and the pads B and C are secured to or retained in operative position on said body portion in any suitable manner. In the preferred form of my invention herein illustrated the pads B and C are removable and are retained in operative position by tangs, tongues or portions 1 of any preferred shape 'or dimensions, that are produced by slitting the material constituting the underside of said insole A and then bending, deforming or flexing said 50 slitted portions sujciently to receive the edge portions of the pads B and C.

Preferably, the insole A of the device is formed from a piece 2 of pyralin or Celluloid that constitutes the top surface of said insole and which is cemented or secured in any other suitable way to a bottom piece 3 that carries the tangs or tongues 1 previously referred to, said bottom piece 3 being formed from pyralin, bre or any other suitable water-proof material that has some flexibility but which is stiff enough to enable it to be slitted to form the tangs or pad holding prongs l previously referred to.

The pads B and C are preferably formed from pieces of sponge rubber or equivalent material of substantially oval shape in general outline and provided with tapered or feather edged portions a: and rc', respectively. Said pads are intended to be applied to the bottom face or underside of the insole A with the thick central portions of the pads presented downwardly and with the tapered or feather edged portions a: and a2 of the pads engaged or overlapped by the integral prongs 1 on the insole. If desired, the high points or central portions of said pads B and 35 C that come in contact with the inner sole of the shoe in which the device is positioned may be faced with pieces of fabric y and y', respectively.

When the device is positioned inside of a shoe the integral tangs or prongs 1 on the insole A 90 securely hold the pads B and C in position to properly co-operate vwith the longitudinal arch and with the metatarsal arch, respectively, of the users foot. If it becomes necessary or desirable to renew said pads or replace them with pads of different height or thickness, thiscan be accomplished quickly and easily simply by Withdrawing the edge portions of the pads from the overlapping prongs 1 on the underside of the insole A. Similarly, the pads B and C can be 100 easily combined with the insole simply by slipping the tapered edges of said pads underneath the prongs 1. When the insole or body portion A of the device is constructed from two pieces 2 and 3 of sheet material, as shown herein, the top piece 105 2, which is imperforate, constitutes a sock or stocking contacting surface that is perfectly smooth and unbroken and which effectively protects the sole of the users foot from the depressions in the bottom piece 3 that are produced by 110 slitting said bottom piece and then bending the slitted portions downwardly to form the pad holding prongs or tangs 1.

An arch support of the construction above described can be manufactured and sold at a very low cost, because it consists simply of one or two arch pads of sponge rubber or the like, combined with an insole formed from one or more pieces of relatively inexpensive sheet material. The insole A is thin enough to not crowd the interior of the shoe and raise the heel or ball portion of the users foot from its normal position, and said insole A has suicient exibility to cause it to conform substantially to the shape of the sole of the users foot, and thus be perfectly comfortable to the user. In addition to the desirable characteristics above mentioned, the arch pad or pads can be easily renewed or replaced by pads of different dimensions, when they are detachably combined with the insole, as herein illustrated. Still another deslrable feature oi my improved arch support is that the insole or body portion A of same is not injuriously affected by perspiration, and can be easily kept in a sanitary condition, due to the fact that it is capable of being washed without warping or bulging out of shape.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters splitting portions of same, disposed so as to lap over the edge portion of said pad.

3. An arch support, comprising an insole or body portion made of relatively stii, thin, nonmetallic sheet material that is not injuriously affected by perspiration and moisture, a featheredged arch pad arranged on the underside of said insole, and integral tangs or prongs on the underside of said insole, disposed so as to lap over the edge portion of said pad and clamp it to the insole.

4. An arch support, comprising an insole having a top surface formed from an imperforate piece of Celluloid, or the like, a member attached to the underside of said Celluloid and provided with a plurality of integral holding prongs, and featheredged pads for the longitudinal and metatarsal arches, positioned on the underside of the insole and retained in position by said holding means.

5. An arch support, comprising an insole or body portion formed from two pieces of Celluloid or the like joined to each other and arranged in superimposed relation, the top piece being imperforate, downwardly deiiected prongs or tangs on said bottom piece formed by integral portions of said bottom piece, and a plurality of arch pads on the underside of said insole, formed from substantially oval shaped pieces oi sponge rubber provided with tapered or feather edges that are embraced or overlapped by said prongs.

. rlos 6. An arch support, comprising an insole or lio 

